Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-01-06
STORY OF A BOOK.
Why the Old Geography Had an
HOnOred Place.

old cedar box in the attic and put i
beside volume of Dickens OF the mid
Ole shelf of the library bookcase. ]
was little, square, grcen-covered
'o%-cared, round-cornered geography
III WAS published when the art of geor
ra"hy making was, comparativel,
speaking, in its infancy. It's maps
had blue seas, green, red. white, vel
low, purple, brown and many Other
rolorcd lands. and it was cmbcllishet
with odd pictures of still odder people
dressed more singularly still who hav,
become entirely extinct long since tn,
artist who drew them died, if the reor.
rapncs OF the present day are reliable
an their illustrations. The advent OF
tbs cld-faShioncd volume among the
richly-bound books in the librar,
caused a fluttcr of excitement not un.
mingled with Indignation.
81 cant see for the life of me-" ey.
claimed a collection Of Matthew Ar
mods essays, "whv this common book
should force himself upon cur COM
pany."
"No, nor |, responded the Dickens
novel, sharply. "If this library is to be
turned into n literary junk shop we
might as well be in secondhand
store ut once"
Yes, indeed" echoed in unison a
low OF SCOTS novels, which stood like
line of British soldiers, with bright
"a suits, on an opposite shelf.
"Come, what have you got to say
hr yourself?" inquired gruff old Ben
sonson. what made you stick
yourself in here against our consent?n
81 didn' t want to come" answered
The geography, mildly. Indeed l
Gidn't 1t wasn't my fault. l was
lying in the old cedar chest in the
attic. where l have lain ever since she
grew up and where l would have been
now but
"Shc?' interrupted Dickens. "Who
is she, pray?''
"Why, don't you know hcr?" replied
the Geography in amazement. 81
thought You must know her. She used
to study me when she was a little
pInk-faccd girl, years and years ago.
She and Jack studied me together.
They were very fond of me, and | sup
pose that is the reason have been kept
so long"
"'Jack?" again inquired the inquis-
tive Dickens, "who is .Jack?'"
Jack continued the Geography.
enthusiastically, twas the handsomest
boy ever knew, and l knew a whole
generation of boys and girls, too. l
ought to know them well, for l was
read, thumbed and studied by them
for nearly forty years before Jack found
me on the bookshelf in his fathers
library, where his older brother had LEI
me when he finished school and went
to sea-"
THAT doesn't explain how you hap
pcned to be here" interposcd Ben
Jonson, rudely. Come, tell us that"
81 was just about to tell you," con-
tinucd the Geography. "You see, Jack
took ne to school with him the very
first day he went there. 1t was the
little red school-house under the hill.
You probably know it. No? l thought
every one knew where that was. The
master was very strict and very cruel.
so used to think. and every day he
used TO whip nearly all the boys and
keep half the girls in at recess just
because they whispered. l tell you
that boys and girls can't keep from
Whispering in school any more than
from breathing. l said nearly all the
boys. Jack was one he didn't whip.
Why? Jack was a cripple. How did that
happen? I'll tell you. Phillis-she
Was Jacks sweetheart-was the pref
test girl in all the school She was
younger than Jack just a year He
was twelve and she eleven. and they |
loved each other just as much as peo-
pie good deal older than they were,
do if not little more. One day after |
school Jack and Phillis were sliding
down the school-housc hill on Jacks bio |
sled. The master was out watch ,
ing them. The road didn't run
straight down the hill, but wound
around down through small grove
of trees. The road had been
covered with water and was ice from
top to bottom. and the sleds flew faster
than the wind as they went down. This
afternoon Phillis sat in the front Of the
sled. her little red stockings curled up
under her dress, while Jack held on be-
hind and steered with his leg. They
staried-the last slide they had-from
the top. and We're going faster than
they had ever gone before, when Phil
lis gave a little scream and caught hold
o. the sled tighter than ever. Jack
l'oked over her shoulder and saw a log
sled. piled high with logs, crossing the
read. How fast they were going, and
how slow it crept along. The seconds
seemed like years. They couldn't pos-
sihly turn out, for it was in the very
middle Of the grove. 1t didn't take
Jack LONG to make up his mind what to
10. With a quick sweep of his leg he